


Two Girlfriends in a Diner

by show_me_the_universe



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/F, Like holy crap I love this ship, SPAAAAACE GIRLFRIENDS, SPACE GIRLFRIENDS, but it's still pretty cute, except for the most part they completely deny it, i will go down with this ship like actually I am prepared to fight anyone who tries to sink my ship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-04
Updated: 2016-08-18
Packaged: 2018-05-11 15:51:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 16,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5632348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/show_me_the_universe/pseuds/show_me_the_universe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>'Two Queer Immortal Girls Traveling Through Time and Space in a TARDIS that Looks Like a Diner' is a hell of a long title, so we'll shorten it to what it all comes down to: Two Girlfriends in a Diner.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Our Story's Just Begun

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so I'm new to Ao3... Not new to writing though, I can be found on ffnet at showmetheuniverse.
> 
> I'm taking my story from ffnet and putting it here now, just cause.
> 
> On ffnet, there's already 6(?) posted chapters, so until I get caught up I'll put up a new chapter here every few days. 
> 
> Anyway, I don't own Doctor Who, the BBC does. 
> 
> This first chapter is in 1st person, and I'm planning on making the final chapter like that as well. It was just easier to get the story started in first person I guess...
> 
> Enjoy the first chapter!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: I re-wrote this in third person to help the story flow better :)

"We've got a bit of wiggle room, yeah?"

"Wiggle room?"

"Yeah. We could, you know, stop off along the way."

"Where are we going?" Me asked, unsure of what Clara had meant by 'stopping off along the way.'

"Gallifrey." Clara smiled confidently as she pulled a lever on her new TARDIS. "The long way 'round."

"Me?" Clara asked some time later.

"Please, Clara, call me Ashildr. I trust you enough, and I understand that the whole 'Me' thing can be a bit confusing."

"Me- Ashildr, we are impossible. Neither of us should be alive, but here we are, flying back to Gallifrey in a stolen Tardis disguised as a 1950's diner."

"Are you going to run forever?"

"Forever's a hell of a long time. No one would want to do something forever. Besides, even if I wanted to, I can't."

"I know how long forever is, trust me. Immortality isn't easy. But if you could stay with me… " She held out her hand. "We could travel the universe. Two impossible girls and a diner."

"Ashildr, I'd love to, you know I would. But it's not going to work. I need to face the raven. I should've done so a long time ago. I can stay with you for a little while, sure. But I can't be immortal. My death is a fixed point in time, I have to face it eventually. Even if it wasn't fixed, I'm not willing to live forever, to suffer forever, I have no clue how you do it. I've lost too much as it is." Clara was fighting back tears at this point. "He'll remember our adventures, but he won't remember me…"

"Clara-" Ashildr tried to reassure her.

"It's not fair!" She yelled in an outburst of sorrow.

"Please... don't become what he became."

"I can't let him forget me! There has to be a way to-"

"Don't go and find a way to tear apart the universe just to get him back! That's exactly what the Doctor did to get you back, and look how it turned out for him! You're in between your last heartbeats anyway, you're as good as dead! Even if you managed to find him and make him remember… What difference would it make? You said it yourself, you can't run from your death forever."

Silence. Their hands touched, one gesture saying a thousand words.

Suddenly the Tardis lurches and stalls.

"Something's stopped us." Ashildr pointed out. "And it's definitely not Gallifrey."

"Let's find out where we are, then."

"I thought you said it was time to face the raven?"

Clara smiled. "We can do some running for a while. A little adventure never hurt anyone."

The console ejected a second pair of sonic sunglasses. _'Perfect,'_ Clara thought.

Clara pushed open the door of the 1950's diner, the little bell on the door tinkling as the pair approached a frightened blue alien.

"Hello." Clara said, as the blue man looked on in wonder and confusion. "I'm the girl that should be dead."

"And I'm the girl that can never die."

"Tell us where we are and why you pulled our ship out of the time vortex. Or else."

"Or else what?" The creature asked.

"We'll just have to kick your arse."


	2. Well, that was Anticlimactic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the second chapter! The next 4 chapters (after this one) are part of a little mini saga that actually turned out pretty well.
> 
> Fact of the Day: The BBC owns Doctor Who

"Tell us where we are and why you pulled our ship out of the time vortex." Clara demanded. "Or else."

"Or else what?" The alien asked, fear in his eyes. He was a small, vaguely human-like creature, wearing a faded cloak that seemed to be made of something similar to burlap.

"We'll just have to kick your arse."

"Please don't… I didn't mean to capture your ship!"

"Tell us how you 'accidentally' brought the Tardis here, then." Clara demanded. "Tell us who you are, where we are, and why the hell we're here."

"My apologies. I forgot to introduce myself. I am Uvvik, chief asteroid collector for this sector of Teph."

"Yeah, so you collect space rocks. Why?"

The old creature sighed. "Teph doesn't have enough resources to sustain the population anymore. We have to harvest metals from asteroids to make what we need. I'm deeply sorry I mistook your ship for an asteroid. You may carry on your journey."

"Thank you, sir." Clara smiled as she turned back towards her 1950's diner.

* * *

 

Back inside their time machine, Clara and Ashildr laughed.

"That was a bit anticlimactic." Ashildr sighed.

"Right?" Clara laughed. "For an unexpected landing on a new planet, I was expecting more… Alien-ness, more action."

"It was interesting, though. Our first adventure."

"Our first adventure. This is unreal. My life is supposed to be over, but it's only just begun. I'm here, moving, talking, almost breathing, going on adventures when I shouldn't even be here! I'm not dead! But I'm not alive, either..."

There was a long pause where the only sound was the Tardis engine running, sending the pair through time and space.

"So, where to next?" Ashildr asked.

"That's a good question."

Clara pulled a lever on the Tardis. "Hopefully somewhere more exciting than an asteroid farm. How's Victorian London sound?"

Ashildr scoffed. "Been there, done that!"

"Right, you're immortal. Neo-Victorian London on the moon?"

"That's what I'm talking about!" she laughed.

Clara reached for Ashildr's hand, desperate for someone to hold onto, desperate to feel a pulse. Reconsidering, she replaced her hand on the console where it was before. "Sorry…" She whispered, apparently loud enough for her friend to hear.

"For what?"

"Oh… Nothing."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Let me know if you're liking it!:)


	3. Cosmos, part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 1/4 of the Cosmos saga! Hopefully you like it! 
> 
> Doctor Who is owned by the BBC. If I owned Doctor Who, all of this would be canon.

* * *

The sun peeked over the horizon of the moon, just as it did every 29 ½ days. The artificial atmosphere created the same dazzling colors of an Earthly dawn. Slightly above the horizon of the lunar landscape, in stark contrast to the beautiful sunrise, floated the charred wasteland that was Earth.

“Queen Victoria!” A servant called. “The space pods are ready for testing!”

“Perfect. Do we have any willing volunteers to test them out?”

“Yes, my Queen.

“We shall begin testing at 9:00 Universal time. Recruit more volunteers, by any means possible. Spread the word that the human race will finally travel the cosmos!”

* * *

 

“Don't you think we should at least try to fix the chameleon circuit before we land?” Ashildr protested.

“Why should we?”

“A 1950’s American diner landing on a lunar colony. Don't you think that's a bit…” She paused to search for the right word. “Conspicuous?”

“Yeah, but it's hilarious! A little diner, flying through space!”

“I can't argue with that. But you have to admit, a full size diner is impossible to land.”

“You're right. Let's see what we can do about that.” Clara put on her Sonic Sunglasses and scanned the console, trying to figure out how to repair the chameleon circuit. “I see what the problem is. I just have to adjust a setting here, flip a switch here and there, and engage the environment analyzer. And…Fixed it! She should be ready to land!”

“Let's land her!”

With the whooshing of the brakes that they never bothered to turn off, the time machine landed, disguised as what could only be described as a 28th century police box.

“A police box?” Clara laughed. “Of all the things she disguises herself as, a police box?”

“Clara, look at this!”

“What- woah…”

The cityscape in front of them was astounding to say the least. It resembled Victorian London, in a way, with small two story homes nestled in little cobblestone alleys and the more important buildings towering in the sky. The one difference between traditional Victorian London and this new city was that all the buildings were made of a space age metal of some sort, and the streets were made not of traditional cobblestone, but of various shaped and sizes of moon rocks.

The streets were lined with people of all ages, the women wearing elegant silver-trimmed dresses with tight waists and massive skirts, and the men wearing waistcoats and top hats. Children zipped by on hoverboards, and a large hologram clock in the city center displayed both Earth and Lunar time.

“Look at the Earth!” Clara exclaimed, pointing at the lifeless planet in the sky above. She ran towards the nearest passerby and asked, “Excuse me, sir, what's happened to Earth?”

The man looked at her like she was crazy, then hurried along.

“Pardon my friend here, she's got a bit of an amnesia problem.” Ashildr covered. “Come along now, Clara.” She took her hand, dragging her into an alley.

“I just want to know why Earth is dead!” Clara said, her voice an urgent whisper.

Ashildr sighed. “Nobody likes to talk about it, but… There was a war.”

“Between who?”

“Humans and machines. Well, I use the term machines loosely. They were called Anthro-Mechs. Humans were volunteering themselves to be upgraded with cybernetic technology.”

“Like Cybermen?”

“In a sense, yes. However, the Anthro-Mech program didn't eliminate emotion entirely. If you had the hardware installed, you gained increased physical capabilities as well as the ability to fly and built in wi-fi, all while keeping your humanity.”

“That sounds cool! What's so bad about them?”

“Anthro-Mechs were treated as a lower class to humans. Eventually, the cybernetic attachments took control of the whole brain, giving the machine half of them their own free will. Naturally, the Anthro-Mechs got revenge for the years of oppression they faced. Protests turned to riots, riots turned to war. We won, but it cost us our home planet, at least for a few hundred years until the vegetation grows back. There's an excess of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and water is being brought to Earth from Jupiter’s moons. Earth will be functional in 400 years or so.”

“Were you there?”

“Yeah. I fought in that war. I had to have been about 2,000 years old at the time, give or take. It was a terrible war, long and bloody. We won, but far too many people died. I left about halfway through the war and took shelter on-”

“THEY’RE AMONG US!” A man screeched. “DO NOT BE FOOLED! THE ANTHRO-MECHS ARE AMONG US!”

Several officials approached the man cautiously, carefully reassuring him. “Sir, you need to calm down. As members of the Royal Police Force of Her Majesty Queen Victoria IV, we know for a fact that there are no Anthro-Mechs on the moon anymore.”

“THAT’S WHAT THEY WANT YOU TO THINK!”

“Come, sir. If you're worried about Anthro-Mechs, we’ll take you to Queen Victoria. She can explain to you that they're all gone. Teleport him, Officer Angus. We’ll send him to Her Majesty later.”

The man disappeared in a flash of light as the group of policemen disbanded and continued to patrol the streets.

“Conspiracy theorist?” Clara asked.

“One of many, I’d assume.”

“What that man was saying, do you think there are any Anthro-Mechs left?”

Ashildr looked at the scorched remains of Earth, lost in thought. “I sure hope not.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! :)


	4. Cosmos, part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back for part 2 of the Cosmos saga! Hope you enjoy!

 

_Last time:_

_"What that man was saying, do you think there are any Anthro-Mechs left?"_

_Ashildr looked at the scorched remains of Earth, lost in thought. "I sure hope not."_

* * *

 

"Attention, Citizens of New London!" A voice echoed across the city square. "Her Majesty Queen Victoria IV is pleased to announce the revival of the Cosmos program. We need many volunteers for the initial testing phase. Although it's a dangerous job, pay will be high and a free trip to the colonies on Mars and the Jovian Moons will be included. You may sign up to volunteer at the local courthouse. Once you sign up, you may proceed to Her Majesty's castle. "

There were murmurs of approval from throughout the area as a few clusters of citizens made their way towards the nearby courthouse to sign up.

"Mummy?" A little girl asked, following her mother towards the courthouse. "Where are we going?"

"Mummy and Daddy have always wanted to go to Mars, and now's our chance!"

"But… But what about me?"

"You'll stay with Auntie Elizah and your sister until we return."

"I want to go to Mars too!"

"I'm sorry sweetie, but you have to be a grown up to go."

The girl began crying. "Don't leave me, Mummy!"

The mother hugged her child. "Don't cry, Felicia. We won't be gone long."

"Promise?"

"I promise." She kissed her daughter's forehead. "I love you, my Felicia. Run along now, go tell Annabeth and Auntie Elizah the news."

* * *

 

Clara and Ashildr walked towards their Tardis after hearing the announcement. "They're just getting around to sending people to space now?" Clara asked. "It's the 28th century, you'd think humanity would've reached the cosmos by now."

"Right?" Ashildr replied. "If not for the Anthro-Mech program and the resulting war, we'd probably be orbiting the Centauri system by now."

The two looked around taking in the sight of the strange city, and then it occurred to them that they stuck out like a sore thumb. Clara still wore her blue waitress dress and Ashildr her leather jacket.

"I wonder if our Tardis has a wardrobe?" Clara asked.

"I was reading the manual earlier. There's a wardrobe, I just don't know where…"

"Guess we'll have to find it. If this Tardis is anything like the Doctor's, she'll move around the rooms, usually to our benefit… Unless she wants to mess with us, then she might constantly move the rooms."

"Sounds like fun…"

It may have been minutes or hours, neither of the pair knew, but eventually they found an endless wardrobe filled with more garments than anyone would ever need.

Before long, the pair emerged from their Tardis, now dressed in elegant Victorian dresses. Before either of them could comment on the other's appearance, a little girl, not even six years old, walked past them, tears streaming down her face.

Clara and Ashildr exchanged a glance, both knowing what had to be done.

"Excuse me…"

The girl turned around in surprise. "Who are you?"

"Clara Oswald."

"Nice to meet you, Clara Oswald. I'm Felicia Agnes Hensworth." She turned to Ashildr. "And who are you?"

"I'm…" Ashildr knew she couldn't call herself Me, and she only used her given name with people she knew and trusted. "Clara's friend."

"Don't you have a name?"

"I haven't got time for a name. Now tell me, sweetie, why are you crying?"

"My mummy and daddy are leaving on a space trip."

"Have you got any siblings to stay with? I'm sure your parents wouldn't just abandon you like that."

"I've got my sister Annabeth and my Auntie Elizah."

"Let's go find them, shall we?"

* * *

 

"And that's what happened…" Felicia said, telling what was left of her family the story.

"That's not okay!" A teenage girl stood up, a few tears in her eyes. "They can't just leave like that!"

"Calm down, Annabeth." An older women, presumably Aunt Elizah commanded. "It is impolite to throw a scene when we have company. Terribly sorry, Miss Oswald and Miss… Excuse me, I never got your name…"

Ashildr paused, frantically trying to come up with a name. "I'm…Lenora. Uhh, Baldwin. Lenora Baldwin. That's my name. "

"Right, Miss Baldwin. I assume that means you're not married…"

Clara and Ashildr looked at each other in shock, both blushing profusely. "Us? Married?" Clara whispered, laughing to herself.

"...Considering you have your own surnames still." She noticed the two girls growing increasingly uncomfortable. "Sorry about that."

"It's fine." Ashildr said.

"It most certainly is not fine! It was incredibly rude of me to make such an assumption. I guess you two remind me of me and my wife, Julia. Oh, how I miss her… before she passed, she would always tell me about how someday we'd get on a spaceship and take a trip to Mars. Never did get to go, she left us before we had a chance to do anything"

Ashildr and Felicia half-listened to the old woman's story, while Clara talked to Annabeth. "I bet you want to find your parents, right?"

"More than anything."

Clara whispered her plan. It was going to be difficult to execute, but there would be a slim chance that they could save Annabeth and Felicia's parents.

Annabeth stood up. "Aunt Elizah, if I may be excused."

"What for?"

"I'm going to the shop to start work early."

"Alright, dear. Don't forget to stop at the market on your way home."

"I won't." Annabeth grabbed her hoverboard and zipped out the door. "Bye!"

* * *

 

Several minutes later, when Elizah reached a stopping point in her story, she stood up and offered her guests tea. "We'd love to stay," Clara spoke for both of them. "But we have some errands to run. It was nice meeting you!"

"Very well. Farewell, Miss Oswald and Miss Baldwin!" Elizah said

"Bye!" Felicia added.

As soon as they left the small house, Ashildr spoke up. "Why did we leave?"

"I've got a plan."

"Ooh, do tell."

"Here's how it's going to work…"

* * *

 

"Annabeth!" Ashildr called, getting the attention of the girl at the end of the street.

"Hello Lenora!" Ashildr had almost forgotten about her fake name. "Hello Clara!"

"Ready for this?" Clara asked.

"Yes." Annabeth confirmed. "One question, how exactly are we going to get into Her Majesty's castle?"

Clara fumbled in her pocket and pulled out a slip of paper. "Psychic paper."

"How did you manage to get that?"

"Let's just say… It's surprisingly easy to pickpocket a Time Lord."

"Right then, let's go."

Approaching the guards, Clara showed them the psychic paper. "Royal Crown polishers, ordered here by the Queen Herself."

The guard inspected the paper. "Strange… She never mentioned anything about a crown polishing, but it clearly says that you three are certified and authorized. You may enter."

"Thank you, sir."

The trio creeped around the castle until they found themselves on a balcony overlooking the throne room. Queen Victoria IV was addressing a large group of people.

"Greetings, people of New London. I would like to thank all of you who volunteered to participate in the Cosmos program. Before we send you to your space pods, you must first pass a physical exam as well as pass through a metal detector."

"Your Highness, if I may ask a question?" A man asked.

"Yes?"

"Why must we pass through a metal detector?"

"Well…" The Queen paused for a moment, and it seemed as if she was carefully choosing the right answer to the man's question. "If you have, say, a metal implant in your teeth or perhaps a prosthetic arm containing metal, you cannot partake in this program. Anything metal may interfere with the ship's signal."

"That sounds suspicious…" Ashildr whispered, taking note of the minor detail.

A sudden beeping directed everyone's attention to the balcony. Annabeth's communicator watch was beeping, signaling a call.

"Intruders!" Queen Victoria shouted.

"Your Majesty, it's just the crown polishers…" A guard attempted to calm down his ruler.

"You know that the crown is only polished on weekends! Now get those intruders!"

Clara, Ashildr, and Annabeth ran as if their lives depended on it.

When they reached safety, Clara burst into laughter. "That was amazing! Oh, I missed running!"

Ashildr spoke up. "Back to the point, we've gained some valuable information here."

"Such as?" Annabeth asked.

"You heard how Queen Victoria had to pause and think about the answer to that question. Her answer was obvious, and it shouldn't have taken that long to think about."

"What do you mean?"

"I think what Ashi- I mean, Lenora is trying to say is that Queen Victoria's got a secret, and it's up to us to find out what it is."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehehe I really was considering calling this story arc Victoria's Secret... But I thought better of it.
> 
> Thank you all for reading! :)


	5. Cosmos, part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aww yeah next chapter! I'm almost caught up to my progress on FFnet, so that's good.
> 
> As usual, Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. 
> 
> Also, updates will be scarce for a bit because finals week is approaching and immediately after finals I'm taking a band trip to Chicago. I suppose I could write on the bus... Or I could sleep after recovering from the stress of finals...

_Last time:_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"Queen Victoria's got a secret, and it's up to us to find out what it is."_

* * *

 

 

“How exactly do you propose we get to the bottom of this?” Annabeth asked.

Clara took charge. “We need information. Anything that could at least point us in the right direction. Question is...” She bit her lip, thinking. “How are we gonna get any information?”

“I happen to be very skilled with technology.” Ashildr mentioned. “If I can find a way to hack into the government database, maybe we can figure out what's going on.”

Clara smiled. “Perfect. Annabeth, what method is used for Internet access nowadays?”

The girl laughed, slightly confused. “Have you been living in a crater for the past year? AppleSoft just released a telepathic holographic computer. Lets you access information just by thinking.”

“Well then,” Ashildr smiled. “That makes it easier. I won't have to think and type, just think.”

“There's just one little problem…” Annabeth frowned. “Lenora hasn't been integrated into the telepathic system.”

“Is that going to be hard to do?” Clara asked, slightly concerned. What if that was the one thing that would prevent them from getting to the bottom of this?

“Not at all. The problem is that it can take days for the telepathic connection to become fully functional, at least for our intended purposes.”

“Days?” Ashildr asked, completely and utterly shocked. “But we haven't got that kind of time! If the people who are testing the space program are in any kind of danger, we need to know now!”

“Unfortunately, that's the shortest time it could take.” Annabeth sighed, her eyes full of the same worry and fear as those of the other two girls. “I'm just as concerned as you are. My parents might be in danger, and if they don't come back… If my parents die because of this…” She struggled to hold back her tears, as the very thought of losing her parents was unbearable.

“Don't cry, Annabeth.” Ashildr reassured. “We’re going to save them, I know it. I mean, for all we know, there might not even be any danger!”

“You're lying.” Annabeth stated.

“I know I'm lying…” Ashildr agreed.

“I think what she meant was that yes, there is something conspicuous and potentially dangerous happening in this city. Yes, there is a chance that your parents and all the other people won't make it back. But if there's one thing you should keep in mind, it's that we will stop at nothing to save them. Okay?”

“Okay.”

* * *

 

The door to Annabeth’s small home opened with a creak. “Aunt Elizah, I'm home!”

“Welcome back, dear.”

“Annabeth!” Felicia called, running to hug her sister. “Did you get me anything from the market?”

“The market- No! I forgot to stop there after work! I'm so sorry!” She paused. “It's just that I ran into Miss Oswald and Miss Baldwin on the way home. They told me they needed a place to stay for a few days, so I offered them to stay here.”

“Well, why don't they have a place to stay?”

Annabeth quickly thought of an excuse. “You see, they've just recently arrived from the Martian colonies, and they're waiting for their home to be built, over in the North Crater district.”

“Alright, I suppose they can stay here.”

“Thank you, ma'am.”

“There's a spare bedroom just down the hall. You two make yourselves comfortable.”

* * *

 

Clara opened the door to reveal a dark, dusty room with two beds, a small table, and a fireplace with a few glowing embers. Clara sat down on the bed as Ashildr started a fire in the fireplace.

“We’ve gotten involved, then?” Ashildr asked.

“It's exactly what the Doctor would've done. Pop off to somewhere new for a visit, then get curious as soon as a child starts crying.”

“Is that really how it works? You don't get involved unless there's children crying?”

“Generally.”

Their conversation was cut short by three soft knocks on the wooden door. “It's Annabeth. May I come in?”

“Of course.”

Annabeth was holding a small device in her hand. She summoned Ashildr, who was about to inquire as to what exactly the object was. “This is a telepathic integration transmitter.” She said, pressing a small button on the device. “This might sting a bit… Sorry.” She placed the device on Ashildr’s temple and the machine sent a mild electric shock, causing her to wince in pain. The device beeped, signaling that it was done. “Alright. You'll be linked anywhere within a couple hours to a couple days.” Annabeth stood up to leave.

“Wait… How will I know when-”

“Trust me, you'll know."

* * *

 

The two immortals sat across from each other, each on their own bed. After the chaos of the day, both felt they deserved a break. Ashildr appeared tired in every way; this was more action in one day than she’d seen in millennia. Clara on the other hand, was emotionally drained, but not physically tired at all. Was this a by-product of being dead?

Clara had so many burning questions about immortality and her own case of technically death.

“Are you okay?” Ashildr asked.

“I'm fine. Why?”

“You don't look okay.”

“I'm just tired. Not physically, but emotionally. I guess I'm not used to the fact that I'm technically dead. I can breathe, but I don't have to. I can eat, but I'm not hungry. I can rest, though I'm not tired.”

“That's strange. In all my years, I've never met anyone like you.” She paused. “With your condition, I mean.”

“I suppose I'll just learn to deal. I mean, I'd much rather be frozen between heartbeats than actually dead.”

Ashildr yawned. “Clara, I don't know how you manage, saving planets day in and day out. We've barely done anything, and I'm already dead tired.”

“Well, I'm actually dead, so…”

The only sound is the crackling of the fireplace. Other than that, it's silent.

Clara sighed. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Do you mind that I call you Ashildr, or would you prefer it if I called you Me? If me calling you Ashildr makes you uncomfortable, then I-”

“We've been over this, Clara. I let people I trust call me Ashildr.”

“You didn't let the Doctor-”

“Who said I trusted him? He called me Ashildr, but I never allowed him to.”

“Why didn't you trust him?”

“We were friends, but that doesn't change the fact that he was the one who cursed me with this immortality in the first place! I can't trust the man who bestowed this curse upon me!”

“Think of it this way… If you weren't made immortal, then neither of us would be here right now. You're literally the reason I'm ‘alive’ now. You've been alone for too long, and we can finally change that. You and me, we could travel the universe forever. You'll never be alone again.” Clara smiled. Ashildr loved her smile, the way her dark eyes would light up with hope and wonder as she grinned. “Now, on to the most important question: why me? Why do you trust me more than anyone else in the Universe?”

Ashildr thought for a moment before answering. “You're… Important to me, Clara.”

“How so?”

“You just… You are.” She smiled fondly. “I don't quite remember our first meetings, but I've read our conversations in my diaries. One thing I do remember well is that I trusted you. We were on a spaceship, the Mire ship, and I knew you would get us out of there. I've trusted you since the beginning, and even though we've only met a few times throughout my billions of years, I've always known that I could count on you. There's just something about you that… I just… I don't know what the right words are, that's how I feel. There are no words to describe how much I believe in you, how much I trust you with my life. Clara… You are the one person alive in the whole Universe whom I trust enough and care for enough to let you use my given name. Please… Call me Ashildr.”

There was silence as both of them processed what Ashildr had just said. There was a weird tension in the air. It was unbearable.

Clara broke the silence. “Well… We should rest up so we’ll be ready for whatever tomorrow throws at us.”

“Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

* * *

 

Clara couldn't sleep. She wasn't tired, and the unfamiliar bed was cold. No amount of blankets helped.

She felt her wrist. No pulse. She concluded that maybe this was why she was cold. No pulse, no warmth. Bringing a pile of blankets with her, she sat down in front of the fireplace.

Life would be different now.

She would travel the Universe with another girl who's no stranger to immortality. This girl would hopefully heal her wounds.

She wouldn't dare let her friend know the pain, but now that the other girl was sound asleep, she was technically alone. She let the silent tears fall.

Never again would her heart beat. Not until she had the courage to return to Trap Street and face the raven. Never again would she feel her heart pounding, although she knew when her heart would be racing if it could. Earlier that day, running from the guards at the palace, she knew her heart would've been rushing. The other time was unexpected. Ashildr. For some reason, that girl would make her heart race. Why?

Never again would she see the Doctor. Her daft old man with a blue box, gone forever. That was when the real tears came. She sobbed, hopefully not loud enough to wake her friend.

She cried herself to sleep.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks a bunch for reading!


	6. Cosmos, part 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's here! The epic conclusion to the Cosmos saga!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Terribly sorry I didn't post this sooner. I had finals, then a trip to Chicago, and I was sick all day today so that was fun. 
> 
> Anyway here's chapter 6!
> 
> Doctor Who (which I've heard won't return until 2017, god help us all) is owned by the BBC.

“Clara, is there any particular reason that you're on the floor?” Ashildr asked, carefully watching over her friend.

Clara sat up, looking at her surroundings, then up at Ashildr. “I couldn't sleep last night, so I just sat by the fire.”

“Are you sure, absolutely sure, that you're okay?” Ashildr asked as she helped Clara stand up.

“I'm fine.” Clara lied, remembering how she’d cried herself to sleep the night before. “Now you stop worrying about me, okay? Everything will be a lot easier if you quit worrying about me and focus on what needs to be done.” She let go of Ashildr’s hand.

There was a hurried knock at the door. “Have you heard the news?” It was Annabeth.

“No, what news?”

“The first space flight test, they launched it last night…It flew off course, straight into the sun.” The girl was sobbing. “My parents were on that ship. Their names are on the list of casualties…”

Clara opened the door and immediately hugged Annabeth, hoping the girl would find comfort in a hug.

She did.

 

* * *

 

**The next day…**

“Annabeth, I think it's working!” Ashildr said. “The telepathic internet is working!”

“Alright, see if you can access the database.”

A blue holographic screen flashed to life, displaying line after line of code. Ashildr focused on the screen, telepathically hacking the system. In a matter of minutes, she had broken through the firewall. “Done. We’re in.”

Annabeth looked on in shock. “How did you do it that fast? Even the most skilled hacker wouldn't be able to hack the strongest computer ever built that fast.”

Ashildr shrugged. “I _am_ the most skilled hacker.”

“What makes you so sure of that?”

“It only takes ten thousand hours to master any skill. A hundred thousand and you're the best there ever was.”

“A hundred thousand hours? If you were to practice non-stop, that's eleven years! How-”

“Let's just say I've got a bit of an extended life span.”

“What do you mean, extended?”

“That's not important right now, look!” She gestured to the screen. “I've found records on every staff member of the palace. They're Anthro-Mechs. All of them. You'd think we’d have noticed cyborgs in the palace, unless they've disguised themselves. Probably means the Queen is one of them as well. Only makes sense to have a bunch of cyborgs serving their leader.”

Clara put two and two together. “That's it! That's why Queen Victoria was sending people through a metal detector! She needed to make sure she wasn't sending any of her own disguised Anthro-Mechs into space!”

“Which means…” Ashildr said grimly, turning off the computer screen. “The spaceship flying into the sun was no accident, it was murder. Your Queen was rounding up the strongest, bravest humans and launching them into the sun, leaving the youngest and oldest here, probably to be rounded up as well.”

“How are we going to stop them?” Annabeth asked, now furious with the machines that killed her parents.

“We need something with an electromagnet.” Clara said, pulling out her sonic sunglasses. “If I can get my hands on an electromagnet, I can sonic it so it'll be 5,000 times stronger.”

“Oh, I've got something that'll work perfectly!” Annabeth exclaimed. “I'll be right back.”

“An Electromagnetic Pulse? That's how we’re saving the human race?” Ashildr asked.

“If you've got a better idea, I'd love to hear it!”

“Wow, you've got _quite_ the personality.”

“Yeah, I've got a hell of a lot of personality for a dead girl walking.”

“Stop saying that. You're not dead.”

“In a sense, I am.”

“But that doesn't change who you are. You're not just a dead girl walking. You're so much more than that. You're Clara Oswald.”

Their conversation was cut short when Annabeth returned with a hoverboard under her arm. She placed it on the table. “Hoverboards nowadays are powered by electromagnets. All the cobblestone streets are made from magnets and moon rocks, and that's how the hoverboards work.”

Clara looked over the sleek metal design of the hoverboard. “Are you sure I can use your hoverboard? I'm going to have to disassemble it to get to the magnet, and once I amplify the magnet’s strength, I doubt it could be reversed.”

“It's alright, I need a new one anyway.”

“Okay… How does this work, is there like, a battery compartment or something? Or…” She flipped it over. The bottom panel read in bold lettering: **ELECTROMAGNET COMPARTMENT.**

“Well, that was easy.” Clara laughed as she opened the compartment. After sonicing the two electromagnets inside, she smiled. “There we go. This'll disable all Anthro-Mechs in a 100 foot radius. Probably.”

“Clara, your plan is brilliant, but there's just one flaw…” Ashildr mentioned.

“And that would be?”

“How are we going to get the Queen and all her guards within a 100 foot radius? We can't break into the palace again, they'd recognize us.”

“Funny you should mention that.” Annabeth said, smiling at the two girls. “There's going to be a meeting in the city center today at noon. Queen Victoria will discuss the recent events involving space travel, and that's our time to strike.”

“This is perfect!” Clara laughed. “We’re going to save the human race, isn't this amazing!” She turned to Annabeth. “You. Annabeth, it's because of you that we’re going to win. I know that in light of recent events you're probably angry and sad and so, so scared. But I want you to know that you're brilliant. You may not even fully realize it, but you're the girl who saves the universe. And if it's okay with my friend, I'd like you to join us after we save London.”

“What do you mean, join you?”

“We’re immortal time travelers. You could join us, in the time traveling sense, not the immortality. You could go see another planet and be back in time for tea.”

“I'd love to!” The three took notice of the bells in the city center ringing. “Just as soon as we save the world.”

“Here's how we’ll do this…” Clara began, instructing her team on just exactly how they were going to take down the Anthro-Mechs.

 

* * *

 

There streets of New London were abuzz with nervous chatter as the citizens waited for an explanation of the spaceship disaster. They applauded lightly as the Queen stepped onto the stage, guards surrounding her. “Presenting Her Majesty, Queen Victoria IV!”

“Greetings citizens.” The Queen began. “I'm sure you all have been made aware of the incident involving our spacecraft. I would like to extend my apologies to the friends and family of those involved in this tragedy. Today, I'm willing to answer any of your questions about the space program.”

Annabeth raised her hand. Pushing through the guards, she leapt onto the stage. “Your Majesty, this question isn't for you, but for the good people of this city.” She turned to face the audience. “People of New London. Surely you all remember the war between human and Anthro-Mech. And the kind ruler of our kingdom has worked so hard to remind us that they're gone, that we’re safe. But are they telling the truth, or are there still cyborgs among us?” She made eye contact with Clara, who activated her Sonic Sunglasses, causing the image of the Queen and her guards to flicker, before parts of their “skin” began to melt away, revealing cold metal. The audience gasped. “That's right. Your lovely Queen, an Anthro-Mech. Now think about it… that spaceship, full of humans, was ‘accidentally’ sent into the sun. A group of humans, killed by Anthro-Mechs. I wouldn't say it's an accident, I'd say it's murder. It was even more than that, it was an act of war. A war I'm going to end once and for all.” The girl pulled out her hoverboard. “Any last words, your majesty?”

The leader of the Anthro-Mech army hissed. “We will rule all! We will destroy all you pathetic humans, you will all burn, YOU WILL ALL BURN!!!”

“Not today.” She pressed a button on the hoverboard, sending out a wave of energy. All the cyborgs collapsed to the floor. It was over.

“She killed them.” Someone whispered in the otherwise silent audience. “She saved us!”

The audience slowly came to life with cheers. “That girl saved us all!”

“Wait!” Someone shouted above the noise. “Who will lead us now?”

“How about her?” Another person pointed at Annabeth. “She did save us, after all. She could be our new Queen!”

“Me?” Annabeth gasped. “No, I- I couldn't. I'm not even old enough, I'm only 16, I-”

“Long live the Queen!” The crowd started chanting. “Long live the Queen! Long live the Queen!”

Annabeth cried. “Citizens of New London! While I am honored that you would think of me as such, I am not fit to be your Queen!” She jumped off the stage, meeting Clara and Ashildr, who hugged her immediately.

“You were amazing!” Clara smiled. “No, you were brilliant. And this is just my opinion, but I think you'd make an excellent Queen.”

“Anna! Anna! Anna!” Felicia giggled, running up to her sister. “If you're the queen now then does that make me a princess?”

“Yeah, I suppose it does. I'm the Queen now.” She laughed to herself. “Thank you so much, Clara, Lenora. I suppose the fact that I'm ruling the whole moon means I can't join you in your time traveling. Do stop back sometime.”

“We will.” Clara smiled. “Goodbye, Annabeth- er, Your Majesty.” She curtsied, and Ashildr did the same.

The girl laughed. “Stop that! To you two, I'm just Annabeth!”

 

* * *

 

When the pair returned to their TARDIS, Ashildr couldn't help but burst into laughter. “That was more fun than I've had in millennia! I could get used to this!”

“Traveling all of time and space, and we’ve got forever to do it.” Reality sunk in. “We've got forever. I almost invited Annabeth on our TARDIS… We shouldn't do things like that. You're immortal, technically, I am too. We shouldn't bring any mortals with us. We’ll only end up losing them.”

“You're starting to understand.” Ashildr commented. “That's how it is, being immortal. Another thing, you might want to write down everything you can remember about your life. Depending on how long we travel, you might start to forget.”

“I… I don't want to forget. I can't forget anyone I've met, they're all so important! You're saying that it's possible for me to forget my parents, my students, Jane Austen, Danny… You're saying I'll forget the Doctor? I don't believe I could ever forget anyone who's had that much of an impact on me.”

“It might seem impossible. I thought the same for a while until one day, I tried to remember where I'd started. I tried to remember the village I used to call home. There was nothing. Just a blur of buildings and faces. Write down everything now. I don't want you to forget. It's not fun.”

“I suppose since I don't need sleep, I could just start my journals tonight.”

“I… I lost my journals long ago. They burned up with the last stars.”

“That's awful! We could go back and save them, you know.”

“We don't have to. Not right now.”

“One of these days, we’ll go pick them up. You need your memories.” She pulled a lever on the TARDIS console. “For now, we’ll just stay in the time vortex. Is there anywhere you want to go after you've rested?”

“Not particularly. You?”

Clara sighed. “There's a date I've been avoiding for so long now, the funeral of a good friend of mine. Someday I'll have to go there, but we don't have to hurry. For now, it'd be good for both of us to just rest.”

“We haven't done much exploring of our TARDIS, yet… Do we even know where our rooms are?”

“Just keep walking, something’ll pop up eventually.” Clara yawned.

“You may not need sleep, but you look exhausted. You should get some rest, at least.”

“I will, just as soon as I find the library. I'm going to get a start on my journals. Goodnight.”

“We’re in the time vortex, there is no night. But yes, goodnight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! :)


	7. On Jane Austen and Books

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clara's got an old friend to visit. But has time run out?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha this chapter is crap. :)
> 
> But it's also kinda good.
> 
> You know the drill. The BBC owns Doctor Who.

Clara had been in the library for hours, chronicling the memories of all who were near and dear to her. Surprisingly, exhaustion was consuming her, and with a heavy mind and body, she trudged toward her room. Yawning, she crawled under the covers, and the bed was oddly… Warm. As she drifted into sleep for the first time in days, she decided that whatever had finally given her warmth was nice.

“Uhm… Clara?”

“Yeah?”

“I'm not sure if you noticed, but you're in my bed.”

Clara snapped awake. “Oh god… I am so sorry, I'm just beyond tired. I'll go find my own room.” She laughed a tiny bit, obviously out of embarrassment. “Erm… Bye!”

As the other girl left the room, Ashildr sighed. “I was about to say that I didn't mind.”

Clara quietly laughed to herself as she wandered the corridors of the TARDIS once more. She finally found a room to call her own and fell asleep immediately.

She was cold.

 

* * *

 

The next day the pair was exploring the TARDIS, their incident from the previous night long forgotten.

“Where do you want to go today?”

“You said you had a friend’s funeral to go to… Is it alright if I ask who?”

“Jane Austen.” Clara smiled fondly. “We were best friends, we pranked each other all the time. Oh, she was the worst…”

“You were friends with Jane Austen?”

“Yep. She was a brilliant writer, a wonderful person, and between us, an amazing kisser.”

“Ooh, you must've been very good friends.” Ashildr teased.

“Shut up!” Clara laughed. “I was an English teacher, I had a time machine, so I figured why not meet my favorite author? I meant to stay for a few hours, one week later and I still hadn't left.”

“We don't have to go straight to her funeral, we could stop by earlier…”

“You’re right! Except…” Her face fell. “I’d be willing to bet that the Doctor’s spread the word to everyone that I'm dead. He's probably told Jane, and that means I can't see her again… I wish I would've gotten a proper goodbye…”

“Write to her. We can go to a few days before her death and I'll hand deliver your note.”

 

* * *

 

Ashildr approached the house which she recognized to be the one where Jane Austen spent her final days, or rather she was currently spending them.

“Who are you?” Cassandra Austen asked, blocking Ashildr from entering.

“My name isn't important, I'm a close friend of Clara’s, that's all that should matter. I've come to deliver a message to Jane.”

“I'm sorry to disappoint you, but my sister isn't well. She's been ill for quite some time, I think she's ill to the point of insanity, the poor dear.”

“I just have a message, that's all I'm here for.”

“Alright. Right this way.”

Cassandra led Ashildr down a corridor and into a dimly lit room. “Do hurry. My sister is tired. You mustn't stay more than a few minutes.”

“Cassandra? Is that you?” A voice murmured weakly.

“You have a visitor. She says she's a friend of Clara’s.”

“Clara… Oh I've missed her. A week or so ago, an old man showed up in a blue box, told me she had died, then disappeared without a trace.”

Ashildr approached the bedside, where the frail woman lay. “Before Clara died, she wrote a letter to you. I was there when she died, and she wanted me to make sure you knew that she cared for you so deeply, that she missed you beyond comprehension, and that she loved you.” She handed her the note.

“Here, take this.” Jane handed her a piece of parchment sealed with wax. “ I'm afraid I haven't got much time left, and I was intending on giving this to Clara after I died. I was certain she would outlive me. I suppose you're the closest thing I have to Clara now… Take it.”

The door opened. “Your time is up. Jane needs her rest.”

“Farewell, Miss Austen.”

“And you… I'm sorry, I never got your name.”

“It's not important. What is important is that you rest, so you can recover and return to your life. I believe that you will pull through. I'm sure Clara would have believed in you too.”

“Thank you.”

 

* * *

 

Ashildr returned to the TARDIS, where Clara met her, curious as to what had happened.

“Did Jane know I was dead?” She asked.

“She's only known for a week. The Doctor told her.”

“What date did we land?”

“The Twelfth of July, 1817.”

“Less than a week before…”

“Yeah.” She handed Clara the envelope. “She gave this to me. She’d written it before she knew you died. She gave it to me.”

Clara carefully opened the envelope. In elegant writing, it read:

_Dearest Clara,_

_I haven't seen you for many years. I've fallen ill, and I'm afraid my time left here is growing short. I wish nothing more than to see your beautiful face again, even for just a moment._

_I clearly recall the first day we met. You showed up on my doorstep, seemingly excited to see me, almost as if you'd known me before we’d even met. You admired me for some reason, as if you loved the stories that were only ideas in my head at the time._

_I also remember the days we went up to the hill and told stories and pranked each other and you kissed me under the summer sky._

_Oh, I hope I'll be able to see you again. And if I’m not lucky enough to see you before I pass, please don't waste time mourning my death. You may not have me anymore, but you'll always have one thing: my love. Even after I'm gone, my feelings for you will live on._

_Wherever you are, I hope you're well, and I hope you're the same as you were when we first met: brilliant and brave, more than I could ever hope to be._

_Truly Yours,  
Jane Austen_

“Oh my God…” Clara whispered to herself, one lone tear staining her face. “Jane…”

“I'll give you some time to yourself…”

“No. Stay here.” Clara turned to face her friend, tears rolling down her face. “Please…”

Ashildr hugged Clara, a comforting gesture that spoke a thousand words. “Losing someone you love is hard, I know. But Jane would’ve wanted you to stay strong.”

“You're right.” Clara broke free of the embrace and wiped the tears from her eyes. “I'm not going to let this shatter me. I'm going to be brave.”

“I want you to know that I gave Jane hope. I told her that I believed she would recover and that you would've thought the same.”

“Do you think that helped at all?”

“We might never know. I like to think that it did, although there's no way of actually telling if it worked. If I were you, I'd keep that note in your journals.”

“That reminds me, there's something in the library I want to show you. Follow me!”

The two girls walked through the endless corridors, hand in hand.

“I found something you might like in the library last night.” Clara said, leading her companion towards the library.

The doors opened to reveal hundreds, if not thousands of bookcases already lined with books. Ashildr pulled one off the shelf and flipped through it, old torn pages with ink handwriting and a few stains left by tears. “My diaries… How are they here? They all burned up years ago!”

“The TARDIS must've found them somehow.”

“You didn't do this? They were just… Here?”

“Mhm.”

“You… You didn't read any, did you?”

“Nope. I opened the book, realized it was yours, then put it back.”

“Thank you.”

“What should we do now? Explore the TARDIS?”

“Nah, I'm not up for that.”

Between the bookshelves, the girls caught a glimpse of the distinct glow of a fire. They walked over to it, seeing a couch with a thick blanket placed in front of a roaring fireplace, with a steaming mug of hot chocolate on each table on either side of the couch. Small stacks of books stood in the area, beckoning to be read.

The two sat on opposite ends of the couch facing each other, their feet touching underneath the blanket that was draped over them.

Clara, being a former English teacher, loved nothing more than reading a good book.

Ashildr, on the other hand, just loved the fact that she wasn't alone anymore.

In what seemed like hours but could've been days, the pair had already read Pride and Prejudice, To Kill a Mockingbird, Les Misérables, Little Women, and Of Mice and Men.

“How old are you, Ashildr?”

“Why?”

“Just curious is all. If you'd rather not-”

“I've lost count, though I'd have to guess I'm at least 100 billion years old. Maybe older. Could be a trillion, even. It's all a blur to me. However many years it's been, I've been alone for the majority of them. I tried to avoid befriending mortals if I could help it. Knew that their lifespan would be nothing more than the blink of an eye in my own. Sometimes… I met people who I so desperately wished could be immortal alongside me.”

“Weren't you given another Mire medical kit?”

“Didn't the Doctor tell you? I used it to save the world. I essentially brought a man back to life. The kit brought him back to life, but that basically drained it. He could recover from minor injuries, but death was inevitable for him. After that, I realized there were people I wished could stay with me forever… Namely you.”

Clara set down the book she was half-reading and looked up at Ashildr in disbelief. “Me?”

“Why do you sound so surprised? I like you, Clara. I do. If you hadn't become a zombie, I would've found a way to use the Mire kit on you.”

"A zombie?" Clara laughed in disbelief. "Did you call me a zombie?"

"A beautiful one, by zombie standards. Anyone's standards, really. You're the only zombie I actually like."

Clara laughed. “I like you too, Ash.”

“Ash?”

“Yeah.” She smiled. “Ash. Short for Ashildr.”

“Don't you even go there, Clara Oswald.” Ashildr laughed. “You're lucky I'm letting you call me Ashildr.”

“I know, I know.” She picked up her book and began reading once more.

Hours later, the two girls lay asleep, their feet entwined underneath the blanket. Clara wasn't actually asleep; she didn't need it. Instead she was thinking about how lucky she was. She was supposed to be dead. But instead of being dead, she was lying on a couch with a (kind of cute) girl lying opposite of her, surrounded by books. One more thing, she was in a TARDIS. Her very own time and space machine.

Nothing could make this better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! :)


	8. Stargazing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stargazing and contemplating life... What could possibly go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Doctor Who is owned by the BBC.

The library was silent and nearly dark, the only light being a few glowing ashes in the fireplace.

“I've never seen the stars up close before.” A voice penetrated the emptiness. “Do you think we could make it so there's a window in here? Like a big glass dome window so we can see the universe…”

Clara sighed. “I think we can do that. The TARDIS can transform at her will. Maybe if we ask her nicely, she’ll give us a window.”

At that moment, the ceiling phased away, revealing a glass dome that allowed the room to be bathed in starlight.

Ashildr’s eyes were glowing with a childlike wonder as she sat up and marveled at the cosmos. “I've never seen anything so beautiful!”

“It’s amazing, isn't it?”

“Yeah… I’m old enough to have seen nearly every star die, and now just getting to be here in the vast universe… It's incredible.”

A comet zipped by, leaving trails of shimmering stardust in its wake.

“What do we call this?” Clara asked, taking Ashildr’s hand, feeling the other girl’s pulse as if it were her own. “Our little system, what is it? Is one of us a companion? Are we friends? Partners in crime? Traveling companions?”

“I… I don't know. But does it even matter? We’re here, aren't we? We don't need a fancy title. No ‘Doctors’, no ‘Companions’. Just Clara and Ashildr in the TARDIS.”

“That just sounds… Right. Like it was meant to be.”

“This is going to sound a bit weird, but you've made me feel again, Clara. Before we started traveling together, I was alone watching the last stars die. I thought I'd lost the capability for emotion centuries before, but clearly I was wrong. You're just so… Happy, and it's contagious. So is your smile and your laugh. You're just radiating with joy, and I can't help but be happy whenever you're near.” She laughed at herself. “I know this sounds stupid and cheesy-”

“It's not stupid. I was going to say the same thing, actually.”

“What do you mean?”

“My boyfriend died a little over a year ago, and after that, I became reckless. As you know, I went too far… Even a few days ago, I was terrified that I'd been brought back, that I was breaking all the laws of the universe. Somehow, I'm a lot happier, even just in the past few days.” She turned her attention to the stars once more. “I guess I've come to terms with the fact that it's you, me, and the universe. I've more than come to terms with it, actually I'm excited for it. However long we may be together, I truly am looking forward to it.”

“Yeah, you're stuck with me.” Ashildr smiled.

“I wasn't complaining.” Clara laughed. Ashildr decided that she really liked Clara’s laugh.

The ship rotated, giving a brilliant view of a gigantic red star.

“Look at the stars, Ashildr. Well, not necessarily that big one, but one way off in the distance.”

“Yeah, what about them?”

“Look at just one star. One point of light in the vast emptiness of space. In reality, it's a burning sphere of gas light years away. It burns on and on, providing light and heat to the planets that orbit it. There could be life there, actual beings walking and dancing and dreaming and living.” Ashildr was entranced, in love with the way Clara smiled at the thought of seeing the stars, the way her deep brown eyes shimmered with excitement and starlight. “Pick a star, Ashildr. We’re going somewhere new.”

“Picking a star can wait… That red star is a supermassive red giant. I've seen enough stars die to know that this one’s bound to blow any minute now.”

“We’d better head to the console room so we can get out of here.”

The two girls stood up to leave, but unfortunately they were too late. The star behind them exploded in an instantaneous flash of light, rocking the smaller-on-the-outside spaceship.

Time seemed to freeze in a moment of panic as the shockwave of the supernova rattled the ship, sending Ashildr toppling into Clara. They hit the floor with a thud, their bodies pressed together and their faces merely inches apart. Not once throughout the ordeal had the two broken eye contact.

“Are you okay?” Clara asked, breaking the silent tension that had loomed in the air several seconds prior.

“Um…” Ashildr was strangely at a loss for words. Why was she so flustered?

“Is that a yes or a no?”

Ashildr wanted to answer, she really did. But she couldn't get past her current position. It would be impossibly easy to lean forward and close the small gap between their lips. She couldn't talk, as her mouth went dry at the thought of what she could do in this situation.

“Ashildr? Seriously, answer me!”

“I'm fine!” Ashildr exclaimed, finally breaking out of her dreamlike trance.

“If you're fine, then can I ask you to do one quick little thing?”

“Yeah?”

“Would you mind, y’know… Getting off of me?”

“Um… Yeah… Sorry.” Ashildr stood up and Clara followed suit. “I'm sorry I didn't say anything sooner, I just needed a second to recover and I was thinking and… Point is, I'm fine. You're okay, right?”

“Yeah. It was a bit of a hard landing, but I think I'll be alright. Not actually sure how pain works with the whole ‘frozen in time’ thing.”

“Did you feel any real pain?”

“No.”

“Weird. Maybe we can figure that out… I mean, hopefully we won't, seeing as to discover how pain works would involve inflicting injury.” She paused. “Nevermind, I don't want to find out. I really do care about you, and the last thing I want is for you to get hurt.”

Clara laughed, seeming to brush off the other girl’s sentimentalities. “You're sweet, Ashildr.” She kissed the other girl’s forehead. “Thank you for being so caring.”

“Clara, there's something I've meant to say for a while now…”

“Go ahead.”

“Erm-” Before Ashildr could say anything, an alarm started to ring. Then another.

“Dammit, we waited too long! The supernova’s probably caused damage to the ship!” Clara turned towards the door. “Hurry up, we have to go to the console room!”

“I'm coming, I just have to… Make sure all my journals are still in the right place, all still on their shelves.

“This isn't the time for that! ...But… I know how important your journals are to you. Make it fast, we've lost enough time already.”

As soon as Clara left, Ashildr picked up her current journal, and hurriedly wrote:

_Log 471-520-728-005-A_

_Yeah, so..._

_I made a mistake._

_I think I've fallen in love._  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	9. Crash Landing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The TARDIS is falling apart. Will a crash landing lead to the revealing of feelings?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have returned. Enjoy this next chapter! :)
> 
> You know the drill, the BBC owns Doctor Who.

“What's the alarm for, then?” Ashildr asked as she hurried to the console room.

“That supernova should've killed us, but it didn't. We had all the shields up, apparently, but the radiation shield is failing.”

“Meaning?”

“We'd better get the hell out of here or we’ll be fried by over 5,000 rads of cosmic energy.”

Clara pulled the main lever. Nothing happened as sirens and warnings continued to blare.

“That's not good…” She flipped a few more levers, a panicked look in her eyes. “That is really not good.”

“What's really not good?”

“Something’s interfering with the ship’s time drive. We can't access the time vortex if it's malfunctioning. We can't go anywhere, and the rad shields are failing, and I don't have the first clue as to how to fix either of them.”

“As for the time drive, all we need to do is harness enough energy from that supernova and it'll be up and running again.”

“How'd you know that?”

“It says on this monitor.” Ashildr gestured to the screen in front of her. “See?”

“It's in Gallifreyan, you can't expect me to understand it!”

“What I'm gathering from this data is that we need to harness the energy… But we've got to do it without absorbing any radiation.”

“That's just it.” Clara frowned. “We’re stuck, then. How can we get the energy without the radiation if the rad shields are growing weaker by the second?”

“We’ll have to draw in the energy and pray that what's left of the shield will hold up long enough for me to activate the time drive.”

“You're crazy!”

Ashildr raised an eyebrow as she smiled at Clara. “I know.” She turned her attention back to the control panel.

“You're going to get us killed!”

“You're already dead, and I'm immortal, I don't think either of us dying is really a possibility at this point! We have to activate it, it's now or never!” Ashildr pulled a lever and pressed a few buttons. “Clara, pull the ignition in three, two, one-”

A flash of white.

Then…

nothing.

 

* * *

 

Clara woke up in a grassy field underneath a tree. Everything was vivid, the grass a vibrant green and the sky a deep blue. The air was warm and clean and pure, smelling of wildflowers.

The meadow was made of rolling hills and wide valleys, stretching on until it met forest in every direction. There didn't appear to be any civilization in the area apart from a few small, furry creatures that looked like a cross between a rabbit and a fox and some butterfly-like insects.

Preoccupied with taking in her surroundings, Clara was slow to notice one major thing.

Neither Ashildr nor the TARDIS was anywhere in sight.

“Ashildr?” Clara called.

Clara didn't know what she would do if something had happened to Ashildr. The immortal Viking girl was literally the only reason she hadn't yet returned to Gallifrey.

“Ashildr!”

The only response was her echo and the leaves rustling in the breeze.

“I'm up here, Clara.” A voice said from above, startling Clara. Ashildr was sitting on one of the lower tree branches. “Sorry if I scared you.”

“What happened?” Clara asked. “And where are we?”

“I'm not entirely sure what happened…” Ashildr started, pausing to jump down from the branch she had been sitting on. “But I know for a fact that I set the coordinates for the nearest habitable planet. What I don't know is exactly what this planet is. I'm also not sure where the TARDIS is, or how we both wound up outside of it.”

“Okay. Any idea of where the TARDIS could be?”

“No clue. But I suppose we’d better start looking. But what does the exterior even look like at this point? For all we know, the crash might've messed with the chameleon circuit.”

“Could it be a diner again?”

“Maybe it’s reverted to cylindrical form.”

“Actually… I think it's a diner.”

“What makes you so sure of that, oh Clara the Wise?”

“Take a look for yourself, Ashildr the uh... the Sassy.”

“You couldn't come up with a clever comeback, could you?”

“Shut up, that's not the point!” Clara laughed, playfully shoving Ashildr. “Look!”

Clara stood at the top of the hill, giving a brilliant view of the valley below. In the middle of the waving green grass stood a familiar building, their TARDIS, once again having taken the form of a diner.

A warm, flowery breeze blew as Clara and Ashildr walked towards their TARDIS. “Wherever this place is, I wouldn't mind staying awhile.” Clara said, smiling and taking Ashildr’s hand. “Let's hurry back and find out what planet we’re on, then we can sit down for some lemonade.”

 

* * *

 

By the time the pair reached their diner-TARDIS, the sun was slowly sinking towards the horizon, turning the landscape into a hazy golden dream. Ashildr leaned against the side wall of their time traveling diner, waiting for Clara to return with their lemonade.

She sighed. It had been literally billions of years since the immortal had even had a friend. The Doctor didn't count; he was generally somewhat mean towards her, likely because she was unintentionally responsible for the “death” of his closest friend.

But Clara… Clara was kind and brilliant and beautiful. Just the thought of her brought a smile to Ashildr’s face.

It had been billions of years since she had a friend.

 

It had been even longer since she was in love.

 

The real problem for Ashildr was trying to distinguish between the two feelings.

 

* * *

 

The bell on the diner door rang softly, followed by Clara sitting down in the soft grass next to Ashildr. “Alright, so I've found out what planet we’re on, and I've got lemonade! Not just lemonade, but pink lemonade, the best kind there is!”

“Thanks.” Ashildr smiled. “But… why is it pink? I’m billions of years old, and not once have I seen a pink lemon.”

“There's a few planets they grow on, including this one. We’re on the planet Greenvale, in the Gemini Quadrant of the Andromeda Galaxy. This region is largely uninhabited. Most of the civilization here lives in the surrounding forest.”

“Friendly civilization?”

“We’ve got no real way of knowing.” Clara said, pausing to take a sip of her lemonade. “Although it'd be better not to find out.”

“You're probably right.”

“Anyway…” Clara said, “You were about to say something. Before we crashed, you were going to tell me something, and it seemed important.”

Ashildr froze, remembering what she had come so close to saying earlier. “I… Ugh… Nevermind, it wasn't important.”

“I bet it was. Tell me, I'll listen.”

Ashildr took a deep breath, then spoke. “A long, long time ago, I was in love. But I can't remember what it felt like.” She paused. “And between the Doctor and Jane Austen and Danny Pink, I feel like you'd have a good concept of what love is.”

“Alright.” Clara smiled. “So when you're in love, it feels like you're falling and flying at the same time. Whenever you're with someone you love or doing something you love, you'll just get this never-ending rush of pure joy.” She laughed as she brushed a stray wisp of hair behind her ear. “It's nearly impossible to explain it… But when you're in love, you'll just know.”

Somewhere during her explanation, Clara had moved closer to Ashildr. Comfortingly close.

A hint of a smile lingered on Clara’s face.“Any particular reason you're asking me about love?”

That question felt like a brick in Ashildr’s stomach. “Alright, I'm just gonna get this over with now. See, my problem is that I'm so used to being alone. I don't really know how to feel emotion of any sort anymore. Ever since I've started traveling with you, I've been happier, which is weird because I haven't felt happiness in thousands of years. And it's a weird feeling. Almost uncomfortable. I don't know if it's because I haven't felt anything but loneliness in ages, or if you're my friend and I just can't distinguish my own emotions, or if I've fallen in lo-” Ashildr cut herself off mid-sentence, aware of what she had nearly said. “Erm… Forget everything I've said.” She laughed nervously. “I think there must be something in the atmosphere here that's messing with my brain.”

“First of all, I checked, and this planet’s atmosphere is nearly identical to that of Earth.” Clara smirked. “But nice try.”

“It was worth a shot.” Ashildr laughed in an attempt to disguise her awkwardness, desperately hoping that Clara would shut up. The last thing she needed was for Clara to further mention-

“Secondly…” There was a fraction of a second of silence as Clara turned to Ashildr, making eye contact for what seemed like the first time in ages. “you don't need to worry.” She smiled softly, pressing a brief yet gentle kiss to the other girl’s lips, taking Ashildr by surprise. “I've known the whole time.”

There was a slow silence as the breeze whispered its sweet sunset melody.

Ashildr, still surprised, was the first to speak. “I… I didn't know you knew. How could you even tell?”

“It was obvious.”

“Was it?”

“It really was. I'm sorry if what I did was… Well… Too forward or too sudden, or if you didn't even mean what I thought you meant in the first place.”

“You’re not wrong. I mean, it was sudden and unexpected. I can't say I didn't like it; that would be a lie.”

“Do you have feelings for me, then?”

Ashildr sighed. The Impossible Girl, asking impossible questions. “I don't know.”

“It's okay if the answer is yes.”

“I assume you've gone through the process… Of falling in love, that is.”

“Yes.”

“Is the first part of falling in love like an airplane crash? Like you're plummeting and you know what's going to inevitably occur but you're almost content with it?”

“I've never heard it described like that, but sure.”

“And what's it like to have a best friend? It's been lifetimes since I've had a friend.”

“A friend… Well… A friend is someone you're close to. I'd consider us friends, although in light of recent events, that title may be subject to change.”

“I… I wish I knew how to feel. Trust me, Clara, if I could give you a definitive answer, I would. My problem is that I'm not used to any emotions other than sadness and loneliness, so it's damn near impossible to know if what I feel for you is friendship or if it's something else. So if it's okay with you…” Ashildr leaned on Clara’s shoulder, seeking comfort. “... I'd like to be able to fly around the universe kicking alien butt and just be your friend. If something happens between us, it happens. We shouldn't force it.”

“I agree. We just need to be ourselves. No more assumptions.”

Ashildr sat up and turned to Clara. “Do you want to know what I was going to say back on the TARDIS?”

“No. Not yet. Someday you can tell me. Just not today.” Clara glanced at the sky, where the sun was meeting the horizon. “We should go. I doubt we want to be outside on a strange planet at night.”

“You're right."

 

* * *

 

 

The tiny bell on the diner door rang as the two girls made their way through the diner, towards the console room.

“Where to next?” Ashildr asked, flipping through the TARDIS manual while flipping various levers.

“Let's see if she can take us somewhere exciting. Somewhere that'd get my heart racing… if such a thing were possible.”

“Alright. Come help me land her.” Ashildr instructed. “It's a lot easier to fly this thing with two people.”

Things seemed different. When piloting the TARDIS, it wasn't uncommon for the pair to bump into each other or for their hands to touch as they reached for the same button. But things were different now. Apologies were hasty and stammered, lingering touches lasted for what seemed an eternity.

Just as Ashildr was about to try and diffuse the tension, Clara opened the door and spoke up. “Ashildr, you have to come see this…”

All previous tensions were forgotten as the pair stared in awe at the sight before them.

The landscape was desolate and barren. A ways away from the diner stood a gigantic castle, blending in with the darkness that surrounded them.

“If I still had a heartbeat…” Clara murmured, taking Ashildr’s hand, “I'm positive it'd be racing.”

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Ashildr asked, tightening her grip on Clara's hand, trying to somehow make it clear that this was not a good idea.

“We’re immortals. We’ll be fine.”

“Alright…”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I'd appreciate feedback and I might be willing to do prompts! :)


	10. A Castle of Stone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha so this chapter is crap! It was fighting me, like I had the concept, but not the words.
> 
> Anyway, Doctor Who is property of the BBC. But you already knew that.

“I'm telling you, Clara… This is a bad idea.” Ashildr said as the pair left their TARDIS behind, heading towards an ominous castle.

“And I'm telling you that neither of us can die. Nothing bad can happen to us, right?”

“Immortal doesn't necessarily mean indestructible.” Ashildr warned.

“For you it does. You've got the Mire medical kit. That means you can just recover from injuries… Right?”

“Yes, but I don't know the limits of the chip, and I don't want to find out.”

“And my death is a fixed point in time, that is guaranteed. Based on that fact, it's not unreasonable to assume that I'm technically immortal.”

“Say what you want, but I think we should go back… now.” Ashildr looked over her shoulder back at the TARDIS, tightening her grip on Clara’s hand. “Right now.”

“We can't turn back. There's an entire universe for us to see, why not stop here?”

“Well, for starters, this is a dark, barren wasteland of a planet with a spooky castle and thunder.”

“So? There's nothing wrong with a little scariness now and then. Who knows, maybe it won't be as scary inside as we are led to believe it will be.”

“Fine.” Ashildr muttered, knowing that it was impossible to get her way with Clara. “But we have to stick together. We can't just split up like the stupid people in horror films do.”

“I'm not that stupid! Of course we’ll stick together. I wouldn't ever want to leave you anyway.”

Ashildr considered responding, but thought better of it, deciding to change the topic. “What do you think is in this castle?”

“Something interesting, no doubt.” Clara replied, investigating the exterior walls of the castle as they arrived in the courtyard. “Just look at how old this stone is!”

“But if this castle is ancient…” Ashildr examined a statue standing on a pedestal. “Then why do these statues look so new?”

“Maybe… Maybe it's just a different type of stone that looks different.”

“I don't think so… They actually look newer. Like someone put them here. But who?”

“Let me see- Wait…”

“What is it?”

“Get in the castle as fast as you can, but do not take your eyes off of that statue.”

“What do you mean? It's just an ordinary statue!”

“That's what it wants you to think.”

“What the hell are you talking about Clara?”

“Weeping Angels.”

“I've heard of them. I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting one.”

“They're quantum-locked assassins. They can only move when you're not looking.”

“What’ll happen if they get us?”

“Let's not find out.” Clara’s voice trembled. “We can't risk anything.”

“Weird, just a minute ago, you were so eager to explore and have an adventure.” Ashildr pointed out. “Now you seem a little less excited. Wonder why? Could it be that the fearless and invincible Clara is-”

“I'm scared, okay! I've been scared ever since we got here! I was just trying to be brave so you'd think better of me!”

“Clara-” Ashildr flinched as the door slammed shut, locking the pair inside the dimly lit castle foyer. “You're the bravest person I've ever met. I mean it. But even the most courageous of people get scared sometimes, and- Oh god...”

“What?”

“Something just grabbed my wrist.”

Clara turned around, only to see a Weeping Angel standing behind Ashildr, its stone grip locked around her wrist.

“What do I do, Clara?”

“It's hard to tell… As far as I know, there are two things Angels can do. They can either send you through time to collect the resulting time energy or…”

“Or? Or what?!”

“This isn't their home planet, and the only reason they'd all be gathering in one spot is if there's a major energy source here. And if there's already an abundance of energy, then the weeping angels will kill for the sake of killing. They'll snap your neck.”

“No problem.” Ashildr laughed, trying to mask her fear. “Right?”

“Can your Mire chip repair a snapped neck?”

Ashildr thought for a moment. “I don't know, but I'm not willing to risk it.”

“What about a broken wrist?”

“It'd take a while…But yes. It's doable.”

Clara bit her lip, taking hold of Ashildr’s hand, the one in the grasp of the Weeping Angel. Her expression said all that was needed.

“You're kidding.” Ashildr sighed, her eyes glancing over Clara’s expression for any sign that her plan was a joke.

“I'm sorry… It's the only way, though.”

“Fine.”

Clara held the other girl’s hand, ready to break it from the iron grip of the Angel. She hesitated. Letting go of her hand, she said, “I can't do it. I don't want to hurt you.”

Ashildr took Clara’s hand with her free hand, bringing it back to her wrist, still locked in the grip of the Angel. “Then we’ll do it together.”

“On three?”

“Yep. One… Two… Three!"

 

* * *

 

“Bloody hell, my wrist hurts!” Ashildr exclaimed, clenching her teeth in pain as she carefully held her wrist.

“I’m terribly sorry, but it was the only way you were guaranteed to get away from that Angel alive and in this time period.”

“I suppose you're right.”

“For now, just keep your eyes on the Angel.”

“Alright.” Ashildr took a deep breath, trying to focus her attention away from the pain. “So… How exactly are we going to get out of here? The door appears to be locked, and there are no windows, not around here at least.”

“We should start by standing back to back so we can always keep a lookout for any more Weeping Angels.”

“Good idea.”

“As for escaping…” Clara looked around. The only thing even vaguely reminiscent of a weapon was a torch mounted on the wall. “I have no clue where to even begin. And to tell you the truth, I'm terrified. Weeping Angels are nothing to mess around with.”

“The TARDIS keys we have can summon the ship from afar, correct?”

“Yes. But is there a spot big enough to land her?”

“The roof. It appeared to be just a solid roof on top, and it's easily big enough to land the TARDIS.”

“You're brilliant, Ash. Let's find a way up.”

Ordinarily, Ashildr would object to being called Ash, but there was something about the way Clara said it that made her feel important. Generally one would only assign someone a nickname if they were close.

“Which way do you want to walk, forwards or backwards?”

“You can lead the way.”

“Alright then. Let's just stand back to back, and we’ll take small steps, and hold hands to stay together-” She reached for Ashildr’s hand.

“Ow!” The girl exclaimed.

“Sorry, that was the broken one, wasn't it?”

“Yeah, it was.”

“Sorry.”

Carefully, the pair made their way down the narrow corridor and up a compact spiral staircase.

Miraculously, they never encountered another Weeping Angel.

 

* * *

 

Before they knew it, they were on the roof. Just as Ashildr had suspected, it was a level surface with plenty of room to land a ship.

“We made it!” Clara laughed. “And look, there's the TARDIS!”

Ashildr pulled out her TARDIS key. “So… How do we get her over here?”

“I think it has to do with the key… But I'm not sure exactly how it works…”

“Here, I'll try this.” Ashildr walked towards the wall that marked the edge of the roof and shouted, “Oi, TARDIS, get your lazy arse up here or we’re going to die!”

“Was that necessary? I don't think she likes it when you yell at her.”

The familiar whooshing of the TARDIS alerted the pair.

“It appears it was necessary, because it worked.”

As the two walked into their TARDIS, the ship was buzzing and humming, almost as if saying how irritated she was.

“There, there, girl. I'm sorry Ashildr was yelling at you.” Clara said as she lovingly stroked the console.

“Why do you do that? It's so weird!”

“The TARDIS, as you know, is a sentient being with feelings and emotions, and she must be treated as such.”

“Fine… I'm sorry, TARDIS.”

The TARDIS quietly hummed in response.

“I think she accepts your apology.” Clara smiled a bit, glad to be safe and sound in her own TARDIS. “How’s your wrist?”

“It's almost better. The chip was surprisingly fast at repairing this time around.”

“That's good.”

“I almost want to find out why the Weeping Angels were here, and why we never saw any more after the first one.”

“We should figure that out…” She paused, as if contemplating whether or not to risk their lives with another encounter with the Weeping Angels. “Or we could go somewhere where we won't die. Any suggestions?”

“I want to go to some alien party. Like a planet-wide extravaganza with music and food and dancing.” Ashildr grinned. “I feel like that would be beautiful!”

“I've heard about a festival in the Arawath System… I can't remember what it’s called, though.”

“I think it's called the Festivus of Daemyton. When I lived on New Earth, I heard people mention it. I heard that Daemyton is the Arawathian deity of joy. The legend says that billions of years ago, there was nothing but hate and darkness. Daemyton didn't like that, so they created the Sun, casting light and warmth upon the Arawath system. The people celebrated in a ten week long festival of joy. After ten weeks, the sun set once more, plunging Arawath Prime into darkness yet again, so the people waited and prayed to Daemyton that the sun would rise once more. That's the myth, at least. The way it actually works is simple. During the long winters, the sun rarely, if ever, rises. When the first dawn of spring warms the planet, the flowers bloom and the world is warm and everything is peaceful.”

  
“A festival of joy...” Clara smiled. “That does sound amazing! We have to go!” She pulled a lever on the console, smiling at Ashildr. “Arawath Prime, here we come!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading! :)


	11. Daemyton

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhahahahahahaaaaaa this chapter is hella long. But it's also hella rad. Like its amazing. Keep your eye out for some awesome symbolism cuz it's there and it's great. 
> 
> Doctor Who is owned by the BBC. I'll try and acquire the rights to Doctor Who for my birthday. Hopefully it'll work and then everything I write will legally be considered canon.

Clara ran her fingers through her hair as she sighed in frustration. “Ashildr… you have got to take off those clothes.”

“Clara, I'm shocked! I mean, I know we’ve grown close, but I didn't think _you'd_ be the one saying that.” She smiled coyly, raising an eyebrow. “...at least not anytime soon.”

Clara tried and failed to suppress a laugh. “Shut up!” She stammered, blushing furiously. “You know what I meant!”

Ashildr smirked, perhaps a little too proud that she’d made Clara blush. “Actually, I don't know what you mean. And for the record, I'm quite curious to find out.”

“It's simple. We’re going to an ancient festival of joy. You’re still wearing that leather jacket..”

“Yeah, what's your point?”

“Well… Could you try maybe wearing a dress instead of your jacket?”

“Hm…” Ashildr paused, contemplating Clara’s proposition. “Could I wear a leather dress?”

For an instantaneous moment, Clara pictured her dearest friend in a skin-tight leather dress. Pushing that thought out of her mind, she responded. “No way.”

“Why not? It'd be a fair compromise!”

“Just find a nice dress in a light color, that's all I ask.” She gestured to the knee length lavender dress she was wearing. “Something that looks like… Well.. Joy.”

“How can something look like joy? Joy is an abstract concept, and therefore cannot have a distinct visual representation.”

“This isn't the time for your commentary. Go pick out something that looks good.”

 

* * *

 

“Is this better?” Ashildr asked, stepping out of the infinite wardrobe in a pure white dress made out of a soft, smooth alien material. The skirt looked like flower petals, soft and fragile. “How do I look?” She twirled, causing the skirt to swirl in layers of white on white.

“You look…” Clara searched for the right word. Pretty? No. Gorgeous? No. “You’re beautiful.”

“You actually think so?” Ashildr smiled, brushing a stray wisp of hair behind her ear. No one had said that to her for billions of years.

“Of course.” Clara replied as the two made their way to the console room.

“I can say the same about you. You look lovely.”

“Thank you.” Clara laughed.”Now how about we land this ship and experience our first Festivus of Daemyton?”

“Only if I get to help land her!”

“I dunno, Ash, I think she's still mad from when you yelled at her earlier.”

“She is not!” Ashildr retorted as she reached for the main power switch. The TARDIS responded by sending out a shower of orange sparks. “Stupid time machine!”

“See, she's not going to like you if you keep calling her stupid…” Clara stated matter-of-factly as she started the TARDIS engines, piloting the ship through the time vortex.

“I know.” The other girl responded. “She should know by now that I'm not the nicest person out there.”

“We’ve only been traveling for a couple weeks.”

“Have we?” Ashildr asked. “How do you do it? Jumping around time like this, how can you keep track?”

“I've gotten used to it, I guess.” Clara answered. “I always forget you're new to time travel.” She pressed a button on the console, landing the TARDIS. “I'll change the chameleon circuit to something that blends in… Like a tree or whatever, and then we’ll be all set!”

The dull sound of the Time Rotor echoed and faded away into silence. Clara offered a hand, which Ashildr didn't hesitate to accept. The door opened and immediately the environment switched from the silence of the TARDIS to the busy streets of Arawath Prime. The streets were lined with little shops, run by what the two girls guessed were Arawathians. They were tall, vaguely humanoid creatures with long tails, scaly skin, and long hair, both in a range of colors. Other aliens and a few humans were mixed in with the Arawathians. Two humans passed by, a man with spiky hair and a trenchcoat, and a blonde girl who clung to his arm, clearly in love.

“I swear I've seen that man once before…” Clara noted. “It doesn't matter, though. What does matter is that we’re finally here!”

“It's so beautiful!” Ashildr gazed at her surroundings in awe. The blue sky was filled with sparkling clouds and flower petals carried on the breeze. Just down the street, the path opened up into a large clearing where a small band played and Arawathians danced an unfamiliar traditional dance. “It's even more amazing than people described it!”

“All these alien markets remind me of the Rings of Akhaten.” Clara said as she picked up a bracelet from a stall. “We’ll have to go there sometime. That was the first planet I visited with the Doctor…”

“Clara, look at this!” Ashildr said, gesturing to a diamond encrusted flower she had found at a shop. Clara noticed how happy she was. For just a moment she looked much more like the sweet, young Viking girl she had once been rather than an immortal who had seen the death of the Universe.

“This one?” The Arawathian male said, stroking his blue beard as he contemplated the price. “Let's say 350 credit.”

“I am not paying 350 credits for this!” Ashildr continued. “It’s literally just a flower with obviously fake diamonds on it! Come to think of it, I prefer real flowers anyway! Let's go, Clara.”

“Wait!” The salesperson shouted. “You drive a hard bargain. I'll give you two diamond roses, 400 credit.”

“Why would I need two?”

“One for you, one for your pretty girlfriend.”

“Her?” Ashildr asked, glancing at Clara. “No, you must be mistaken- I mean, yes, she's pretty. But she's not my, I mean, we’re not-” She stammered, trying to get a grasp on her thoughts. “Ugh, let's get out of here, Clara.” She took Clara’s hand and walked away.

“So I'm pretty, huh?” Clara asked after they had walked away.

“Yeah.” Ashildr blushed. There wasn't much to be said on the topic, it was just a well known fact that Clara was beautiful.

The pair reached what they assumed was the city center, a large circular area where people were dancing and laughing and listening to the jubilant tune that a small band played.

The song had ended and the dancing had paused, allowing an opportunity for new members to join.

“We should go dance!” Clara suggested as she made her way through the crowd.

“Wait, Clara-” Ashildr was about to object, as she had never been one for dancing, but by then, the music had already started, a fast waltz. “We don't even know what dance this is, how are we going to do it?”

“Just do what everyone else is doing, I guess.”

The pair attempted to dance, trying to at least stay in time with the quick music. By the end of the song, they had stepped on each other’s feet too many times to count, as well as accidentally bumping into other couples dancing as well.

“That was a disaster.” Clara laughed as she brushed some dust off the skirt of her lilac dress. “But it was pretty fun.”

“I agree.” Ashildr said. “Although I wouldn't do it again if I had the choice. I've never really liked dancing.”

A shorter Arawathian with pink skin and purple hair jumped out in front of the pair. “You ladies look hungry! Free sample, just for you!” She picked up a plate of what appeared to be bread and jam.

“Thank you.” Clara said as she picked up a piece.

“It's my specialty. Sweet bread and Larfulberry jelly. The larfulberries grow during the daylight months, so I must harvest them in the darkness and cook the jelly. It really is tedious, but it is a labor of love.”

“It's really good.” Ashildr commented.

“Would you be so kind as to buy some? A loaf of bread and a jar of jelly, 25 credits.”

“I'm sorry, but we haven't got any money.” Clara smiled apologetically. “We’ll try to be back another time when we’ve got some money.”

“What do you mean, we haven't got any money?” Ashildr asked as they walked away. “Traveling the universe without a credit to our names wouldn't be a great idea.”

“The Doctor always used to store credits in his sonic screwdriver.”

“Storing currency in a screwdriver? How would that even work?”

“Well, it was sort of like an intergalactic credit card, in a sense. If we needed to pay for anything, just a quick blip of the sonic would do. There was one planet where instead of credits, you'd pay with an item of sentimental value, that sure was a weird day. I wound up paying with an old leaf.”

“A leaf? How could a leaf be so important?

“I'll have to tell you the story sometime…”

“Now's as good of a time as any, why not now?”

“It's quite a long story, why don't we find somewhere to sit down?”

“Sure, but can I get my jacket from the TARDIS? It's getting a bit cold.”

“That's just because the sun is behind a cloud.”

“Still, it'd be better to have it and not need it than the other way around.”

“Fair point.” Clara nodded. “Let's hurry, though.”

“Why should we hurry?” Ashildr asked, putting on her leather jacket.

“I'm fairly certain that this is the last day of the festival. Tonight, the sun will set, and the dark months will begin again. We should find a nice place to watch the sunset."

 

* * *

 

Some time later, the two girls found themselves on the top of a hill overlooking the village and the ocean in the distance, the sun growing closer to the horizon with each passing minute. They sat next to each other, leaning against a flowery tree, pink petals fluttering in the gentle breeze.

“About the leaf…” Clara began. “I like to think that I blew into this world on a leaf. That sounds a bit weird, I know. But one day, a man was walking across the street. A leaf blew from a tree and into his face. He would've been hit by a car if not for a woman pulling him onto the sidewalk, back to safety. That's how my mum and dad first met. If not for that leaf, I might not be here right now.”

“You think it was destined to happen, or just pure luck?”

“I couldn't say. Things tend to happen for a reason, and initially my reason for existing was to save the Doctor.”

“And how many times have you done that?

“More than I can count, and that's just this lifetime.”

“That implies that you're aware you've lived other lives.”

“Which brings me to my next point. The most important time I saved the Doctor was when he was forced into his own timeline. I had to save him, so I followed him. I literally was shattered into fragments, scattered throughout his timeline. One incarnation of me worked on a starliner before being captured by Daleks, another was a part-time barmaid, part-time governess in Victorian London.”

“The girl from the starliner, what was her name?”

“The Doctor said her name was… Oswin? Yes, I think it was Oswin.”

“Oswin! I remember her, and I knew the face was familiar!”

“What do you mean?”

“I knew Oswin before she worked on the Starship _Alaska_. I think I was going by the name Nina at that time… Anyway, I know for a fact that she fancied me. Her mum knew, too. She told her to get over it and that it was just a phase. But anyway, I knew her face was so familiar, and I can't believe I'm just figuring it out now! I'd never forget your face, Clara, but how did I not make that connection?”

“Wait, you said you'd never forget my face. You're billions of years old, you've got a finite memory. Why did I stay with you that whole time?”

There was silence as the flower petals fell. The air grew warmer, and Ashildr let her dark jacket slip over her shoulders. She sighed, her eyes glistening with tears. “It's damn near impossible to forget the face of the girl I killed.”

“Ashildr, it wasn't your fault. I took the chronolock, I faced the raven, it was my choice. I haven't even died yet, I've still got the space between heartbeats.”

“To me, you've been dead for billions and billions of years. You can take the blame for it as much as you'd like, but there's no way to stop me from feeling guilty about this. No amount of forgiveness will fix what I did. I am directly responsible for your death, and when you kill someone that you… Someone that matters, you tend to remember them for the rest of your life, so in my case, forever.” She picked up a rosy flower petal. “There's only a few faces I've remembered all these years: my children, my father, the Doctor, and you. I have vague memories of a few others, but aside from that, everyone I've ever known is… They- They're all gone, Clara.” She let go of the flower petal, watching it drift away on the breeze. “I've outlived everyone I know, and I can't even remember most of them and there's nothing I can do about it! Everybody dies and it's taken me 500 billion years to accept it!” She grew silent and wiped a tear from her face. “Sorry… Immortality has its downsides.”

“You don't have to apologize, it's okay.”

“I used to be so lost, Clara. I was sitting alone, on the last glowing embers of the dying Universe.” She relaxed, her head coming to rest on the other girl’s shoulder. “I'm so glad we both have a second chance at the life we’ve always wanted. Now that I have you by my side… I honestly have never been happier.”

The sun sank into the ocean in the distance as the sky turned from a powdery blue to a dazzling orange that faded into gray. One by one, stars lit up the ever-darkening sky as the moon rose in the East. The village below grew quiet as the last rays of sun vanished from the horizon, marking the beginning of the dark months.

Each girl had considered saying something at some point during the evening, but there was nothing to be said.

Ashildr found herself almost falling asleep after a while. “Hey Clara…” She yawned.

“Yeah?” Clara responded, clearly drowsy as well.

“How long has it been since we’ve slept?”

“At least a few days, I haven't really been keeping track.”

“We should go back to the TARDIS, then.” Ashildr stood up, and Clara followed suit, pausing for a moment.

She tried not to stare, but she couldn't help it. Ashildr stood a few feet away, her brown hair, dotted with stray flower petals, tumbling over her shoulders. Glowing in soft, milky moonlight, she looked like something out of a dream.

That's the precise moment that Clara knew that not falling in love would be much more of a challenge than she’d initially thought.

“Hello? Earth to Clara…” Ashildr said, snapping Clara out of her trance.

“Sorry, what did you say? I zoned out for a minute there…”

“I said we should get going.”

“You're right, we should.” Clara took her hand and the two headed for their TARDIS, walking a little closer to each other than they had been earlier that day.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who saw the symbolism? Anyone? Don't forget to leave a review my lovelies! Have a spectacular day! :)


	12. Important update

So I'm going to be re-writing this story, under a new title that I have yet to come up with. 

I haven't had a lot of time to write lately, and I've completely lost track of where I was going with my initial plot for Two Girlfriends in a Diner. 

Also… I'm definitely going to focus more on the adventures than the romantic subplot. Adventure is what Doctor Who is all about.

I'm not going to delete this story. It deserves to stay here, so I can reflect on my old writing. Also for anyone else to read, in case any of you thought this stuff was actually good. 

So that's that. I'll try to have my next story up before the end of summer. 

See you guys later,  
~Rachel


	13. Chapter 13

Hey there, readers of TGiaD!

I'd like to inform you all that my re-write of this story is finally out!

It's called TARDIS: The Amazing Retro Diner In Space, and if you liked TGiaD, you'll love this!

-Rachel


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